Less than 1% of those impacted by the disease will survive for 39+ years.

ALS Association

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), commonly known as Lou Gehrig’s disease or Charcot’s Disease, is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord.  Amyotrophic” comes from the Greek language. “A” means no. “Myo” refers to muscle.  “Trophic” means nourishment.  Therefore, amyotrophic means “no muscle nourishment”.  When a muscle has no nourishment, it “atrophies” or wastes away.  “Lateral” identifies the areas in a person’s spinal cord where portions of the nerve cells that signal and control the muscles are located.  As this area degenerates, it leads to scarring or hardening (“sclerosis”) in the region.  

The motor nerves affected when you have ALS are the motor neurons that provide voluntary movements and muscle control.   These actions control the muscles in the arms and legs.  Motor neurons reach from the brain to the spinal cord and from the spinal cord to the muscles throughout the body.  When the motor neurons die, the ability of the brain to initiate and control muscle movement is lost.  The disease if progressive, and affected people may lose the ability to speak, eat, move, and eventually breathe.

Symptoms of ALS can include twitching and cramping of muscles (called fasciculation), stiffness in muscles (spasticity), increasing loss of motor control in hands and arms and legs, weakness, and fatigue, slurred or thick speech and difficulty breathing or swallowing.  

In the U.S., every 90 minutes someone is diagnosed with ALS and every 90 minutes someone with ALS dies.  For about 90% of all cases, there’s no known family history of the disease or presence of a genetic mutation linked to ALS.  The cause is unknown.  Although there is currently no cure for ALS, a wealth of new scientific and technology gives everyone hope for a cure.  

To learn more about ALS please visit www.als.org.